The UK is preparing to introduce two pieces of legislation that are set to have a profound impact on the workplace. The Employment Rights Bill and the proposed Equality (Race and Disability) Bill offer a plethora of changes that aim to support the rights of workers and promote equality in the workplace.

Although it is not explicitly mentioned how the government intends to address the disability employment gap, both bills propose greater protections for disabled people. Thus, this time of reform calls for a reflection on business practices and how best to support disabled employees. For businesses, these bills require more than regulatory updates; rather, they present an opportunity to improve workplace cultures and strengthen business practices for disabled workers.

What are the changes?

Employment Rights Bill:

The Employment Rights Bill intends to improve job security for the 6.8 million people in insecure work, which is defined as having unpredictable hours or pay and weak access to workers’ rights and protections (Budak et al, 2024). For disabled workers, this figure is even starker. Out of 6.8 million people, 1.45 million disabled workers now have “severely insecure work” (Florisson, 2024, p. 5).

This figure disproportionality reflects systematic challenges for disabled workers.

A blue infographic titled: "Employment Rights Bill - Bill aims to prevent insecure working." Smaller graphics within this one repeat the text written next to the infographic regarding the statistics. — A growing disabled workforce:
The UK Insecure Work Index notes this is due to an increase in the number of disabled people who are working age, increasing from 6.4 million in 2013 to 9.3 million in 2023 (p.16).

Limited flexibility in secure roles:
Disabled workers are more likely to be in insecure work due to the lack of flexibility in secure jobs.
Gendered Inequalities:
Disabled Women are more likely to be in insecure work

Overall, this bill recognises that the fairness and security for disabled workers is no longer optional. The bill aims to improve

Job security across industries
Strengthen protections against harassment and bullying
Place a duty on employers to prevent harassment from third parties, such as customers or clients.

Thus, businesses are required to create a workplace culture that creates an environment where disabled workers can perform their best work. Ridding inequality and discrimination, and improving this insecure work figure.

Equality (Race and Disability Bill):

The second bill aims to directly address pay inequalities and workplace inclusion. Proposing that large employers (those with more than 250 employees) will be required to report the pay gap for disabilities and ethnicities, entrenching equal pay rights across ethnic minorities and people with disabilities (PWC, 2025). This change reflects the move away from inclusion being treated as “nice to have” towards placing inclusion at the heart of businesses. Making compliance a priority.

By adopting diversity and inclusion at the centre of practices, the bill ensures:

Greater trust and transparency across the workforce
Improved recruitment and retention of disabled talent
A stronger business reputation

Overall, making inclusion and diversity measurable and accountable.

What can employers do now?

Begin to audit disability and progression data:

Beginning to collect this data to promote inclusion will be the best practice, even before it becomes mandatory.
Collecting data on the experiences of disabled employees, flexible working, sick leave, promotions, and turnover rates is all helpful information to track and promote inclusion in the workplace.
By identifying patterns and disparities, businesses can make evidence-based decisions to remove barriers for disabled workers.

Train line managers and HR Teams on disability inclusion:

Research has demonstrated that often these new laws fail not due to malice on behalf of the company. Rather, employers lack the confidence to implement adjustments, such as flexible working, to promote secure work.
Training, even before these proposed reforms come into place, will be the best practice to support inclusion in the workforce.
By investing in training now, employers can ensure that new legal duties directly translate into real change on the ground.

Why does this matter?

Grants employers access to a wider talent pool
Increased engagement and retention
Better innovation and business performance
Improved company reputation

Overall, it is hoped these bills will strengthen entrenched equality and inclusion in the workplace. The question for employers is not whether they need to adapt practices, but rather how quickly and effectively they are able to adopt these practices. Those who begin to embed diversity into the workplace will not only comply with legislation but unlock the full potential and value of disabled talent.

Sources:

Florisson, R. and Gable, F. (2022) The Gender Gap: Insecure work in the UK. Available at: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/documents/lums/work-foundation/The-Gender-Gap-Report.pdf (Accessed 12th September 2025).

Florisson, R. (2024) The UK Insecure Work Index 2024. Available at: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/images/lums/work-foundation/UKInsecureWorkIndex2024.pdf (Accessed 12th September 2025).

PWC. (2025) Equality (Race and Disability) Bill update UK Government consultation covering ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting. Available at : https://cityhr.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Equality-Race-and-Disability-Bill-update-PwC-Briefing.pdf (Accessed 12th September 2025).